An interview in the NY Post with Lillo Brancato Jr., the star of A Bronx Tale and The Sopranos, who was charged recently with the shooting death of a cop in a failed attempt at stealing Valium, reveals many new, sad details of the story. Brancato claims he had no idea his co-defendant, the one who pulled the trigger, was carrying a gun the night of the botched burglary. Now, sitting in prison on Rikers Island, recovering from two bullet wounds, the reality of the situation has fully set in:

Brancato, 29, [...] said he wept when he read a newspaper story about the funeral of the slain young cop, Daniel Enchautegui.

"When I saw the picture of his father, it brought tears to my eyes because he looked like one of those old-fashioned men kind of like my father," Brancato said. "I also thought that that could have been my father going to my funeral."

At that, he put his head down and his piercing brown eyes began tearing up. [...]

"I didn't know that he had a gun," he said.

"If I would have known, I wouldn't have allowed him in my car. Imagine, we get pulled over and I get caught with an armed felon in my car.

"Since I've been in the movies, it would have instantly drawn attention."

Yes, Lillo, it would have, and it did. We can only hope the Sopranoscurse of actor criminals becoming actual criminals ends here. Our fragile hearts simply wouldn't be able to take the shock of a headline screaming, "Jamie-Lynn DiScala's Cold Cocked Crime Of Passion."